The day when Scottie Scheffler (-3) or Rory McIlroy (-3) had to finish at the top of the leaderboard of the Genesis Invitational, even setting up for a cosmic duel on the final day, just this day Patrick Rodgers (-8) appeared at Torrey Pines with a ruler in his bag and the healthy intention of disrupting the high-flying golf orgy that some of us were eager to anticipate. It is still possible for Scheffler or McIlroy to win the tournament, but their chances have been reduced to the bare minimum. Rodgers is now a solid leader heading into Sunday’s round after signing for a 68. Not even the ball he sent into the water on the 18th hole, quite unexpectedly (his only bogey of the day), marred the Saturday display of this experienced player who is still seeking his first victory on the PGA Tour after 286 attempts and nearly ten years on the circuit.
Let’s not beat ourselves up, the apprentice soothsayers. The monumental stature of the World Numbers 1 and 3 always weighs heavily in predictions, and even in objective analysis, but also the signals that Scottie and Rory sent in the first two rounds were very positive, especially considering the tough test that is this South course at Torrey Pines. Their roadmap seemed clear and inexorable. But golf does not understand agendas, protocols, or maps. Fortunately, it is so, for more details.
Each with their own problems, the truth is that Scheffler and McIlroy have nailed their grey performances. Both have been very inconsistent from the tee, both have been blunt on the greens, both were at times with the rope around their necks… And both capped off this tough day with double bogeys in the final third of the round. One did it on the 16th hole (Rory), after missing a sixty-centimetre putt, and the other on the 14th (Scottie), after grossly missing the tee shot (he had to drop with a penalty) and then facing a bunker shot with a fried egg lie.
It would not be fair to say they were seen losing patience. Both have shown good attitude, but today they were truly unable to solve the puzzle, and the final score speaks for itself of the stellar slip: a card of 76 strokes for Number One and 74 for Number 3. The irony of the matter is that tomorrow they will play together. They will not do so in the star group, not even in the penultimate of the day, but it remains an interesting and intriguing face-off, because it would be foolish to rule out that one of them, or even both, might still be capable of giving the leaders a scare.
It was not just Rodgers who triumphed on the day. Tony Finau (-4), in fact, signed the best result of the day. And Denny McCarthy (-7) has made it into the star group through sheer determination (a small aside, speaking of star groups: Saturday’s, formed by Scheffler and the worthy Davis Thompson, delivered the two worst results of the day, both cards of 76 strokes. The South course, in fact, being in any case a formidable opponent, was more forgiving today than in previous days). Tommy Fleetwood (-4), with his round of 69 strokes, and Patrick Cantlay (-4), with his 68, have also earned their chances. Ludvig Aberg (-6), for his part, appears as one of the most reliable alternatives after delivering a 70. The Swede is not a killer, but he is very capable of winning by a landslide.
